‘How does a fresh grad survive in Singapore?’: NUS grad shocked by high housing prices and soaring cost of living

SINGAPORE: “How does a fresh grad survive in Singapore these days?” A local NUS graduate recently posed this question online after realising just how exhausting and expensive adult life has become.

Posting on the r/nus subreddit on Tuesday (Oct 28), the graduate wrote that when he was still in university, life was simple. All he needed to do was “study, get good grades, and not worry about finances or money matters.”

Now, however, things feel completely different. He said it’s extremely difficult for fresh graduates to find employment, and even if they do, coping with Singapore’s high cost of living is another challenge altogether.

Curious to see what lies ahead, he decided to take a look at housing prices in Singapore, both for BTO and resale flats, and was completely taken aback by how outrageously expensive they were. “I was stunned by the price. How to afford sia? Employment is already so hard to maintain, and now, I still have to pay a bomb for a house?” he wrote.

It’s even worse for singles, he added. “You can’t even qualify for BTO until you’re 35 years old, and even after that, you still have to ballot, which I heard is like winning the lottery. 

“You are essentially forced to buy an overpriced resale flat. Look at how much resale flats cost nowadays. How to survive in SG like that???”

“Life is hard, and everyone has to go through it.”

In the comments section, several Singaporean Redditors chimed in to offer the fresh graduate their thoughts and advice on coping with the challenges of adulthood.

One user offered a bit of reassurance, saying, “Well, it’s tough but possible. Just tell yourself that everyone is going through this also, and by being able to enter NUS, you are already ahead of many.”

Another advised the graduate to focus on finding a job first before worrying about everything else. “The only thing you can improve is yourself,” they added. “Life is hard, and everyone has to go through it.”

With regard to housing, a third shared, “Honestly, buying a BTO is definitely possible. Don’t get married early. Accumulate a bit of wealth in your bank and in your CPF.”

“Your mortgage is paid for by your CPF, and with enough, there will hardly be any out-of-pocket payment (there are some components you’ll still need to fork out). Look, buddy, getting a house is not as scary as the tales you’ve heard. What’s scary is people not managing their expectations.”

In other news, a 22-year-old woman who graduated with a private diploma in IT (Network Defence) took to social media to share that she now regrets taking up a legal administrative job that pays below S$1,500 a month.

Sharing her experience on Reddit’s AskSingapore forum, the woman explained that she accepted the position only because she was unable to secure a role in her chosen field. “I accepted it because I was desperate for a full-time job,” she said.

Read more: IT diploma grad regrets taking up legal admin job that ‘pays less than S$1.5k’ out of desperation